Nutcracking machine



May 1940- a. J. MOELLER NUTCRACKING MACHINE z Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 14, 1958 INVENTOR GEORGE J.. MOELLER BY a ATTORNEY Mayl4, 1940. WELLER 2,200,515

NUTCRACKING MACHINE Filed March 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 7 17 I f I \A V .1 40

mum 27 FIG. 4 Z5 4 54 I 4 FIG. 5 41 24 "l- 2 v [6 44 INVENTOR GEORGE J. MOELLER ATTORNEY Patented May 14, 1940 U ITED STATES NUTCRACKING MACHINE George J. Moeller, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Dazey Churn and Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application March 14, 1938, Serial No. 195,669

1 Claim.

This invention relates to nutcracking machines, and more particularly to an improved nutcracker of the-type adapted for hand actuation.

The object of the invention, stated generally, is

to provide an improved device of this character which is easy to manipulate, highly eflicient, and which functions in an improved manner to fracture nuts so that the kernels can be readily removed in whole, unmutilated condition.

The nutcracker of my invention is of the type having a fixed jaw, and a movable jaw to which high cracking pressures are applied through the agency of a hand lever. In my improved device pivotal movement of the hand lever is reserved and utilized solely for the purpose of imparting high pressure movement to the jaw associated therewith, and not, as in the case of certain nutcrackers of heretofore prevailing design, for the purpose of effecting an initial adjustment of the movable jaw to fit the same to a nut prior to the actual cracking operation. A salient disadvantage attending the operation of many existing types of nutcrackers is the fact that the stroke of the hand lever is, for the most part,

5 dissipated in adjusting the jaws to the particular nut to be cracked, leaving only a small fractional portion of the lever stroke available for applying cracking pressure. Accordingly the length of lever stroke is required to be great and since only a fractional portion of the stroke is utilized in the actual cracking of the nut, an inemcient use of the lever results. An important object of my invention is to provide a nutcracker wherein the actuating lever is utilized to best advantage by restricting its function to that of imparting cracking pressures to the movable jaw, the preliminary adjusting operation being accomplished independently of pivotal movement of the lever.

Another object is attained in the provision of a jaw and lever assembly arranged for conjoint translatory movement toward and from a fixed jaw, and means controlled through the lever for fixing the position of the assembly, relatively to the stationary jaw, during the period in which the lever is being utilized to impart cracking pressures to its associated jaw.

Yet another object of the invention is directed to increasing the operating eificiency of a nut cracker of the described character by the provision of a, lever mechanism which serves to eifect a relatively accelerated rate of jaw movement during a small initial stage of the lever stroke, for the purpose of minimizing the, extent of lever travel necessary to place its associated jaw into pressure engagement with a nut.

Yet a further object is attained in the provision of coacting jaw elements having nut receiving sockets shaped in an improved manner so as to 5 produce certain definite lines of fracture in a nut shell, enabling the shell fragments tobe expeditiously removed from the kernel.

Another object is to provide an improved nut cracker embodying the features hereinabove de- 10 scribed which is strong, durable, relatively inexpensive of manufacture and highly satisfactory for itsintended purpose.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of a nutcracker incorporating the improved 15 features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken at line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Figs.

4 and 5 are longitudinal sectional views taken at line 'i-4 of Fig. 1, showing the jaw mechanism 20 in difierent operating stages; Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken at line 66 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 shows, diagrammatically, the jaw actuating mechanism in an initial, an intermediate and a final operating stage. 25

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of my invention and show the device as mounted in a horizontal position on a wall or other supporting structure by means of 30 a bracket or wall plate It. Such plate, shown secured to the wall by'screws I i, has the marginal portions at its opposite sides bent to form channels I2 of inclined, downwardly converging trend, the channels l2 being adapted to receive and 35 wedgingly embrace side flangeslil formed on the base part i l. The Wall plate l0, together with base part l4, provides a detachable mounting, enabling the device to be removed from its support and stored away when not in use. 4

The base part M is preferably formed of suitable light weight metal, as by die-casting, and has a steel jaw element 15 secured thereto, the jaw' l5 comprising a cylindrical head portion, re cessed in a manner hereinafter to be described'to 5 receive a nut, and a stem portion it which is press-fitted in a suitable bore il in the base part I l. A pair of guide bars 58 disposed in relatively parallel spaced relation project horizontally from the base Hi, the bars it being preferably produced from a length of round rod stock bent to U-form, the connecting portion being indicated at I9.

Mounted for sliding movement along the guide bars l8isa carriage member 20 comprising sleeve between the jaw elements.

portions 2| through which the bars I8 extend, side plates 22 depending in spaced relation from the sleeves, and a portion 23 extending transversely between the side plates 22 at their inner ends. The transverse portion 23 is provided with a longitudinal bore which slidingly receives the stem or neck 24 of the so-called active jaw element 25 which is disposed in axial alignment with the stationary jaw [5. The jaw 25 is adapted to be reciprocated, relative to the carriage member, toward and from the stationary jaw I5, by means of a lever 26. An enlarged end or hub portion 21 of the lever is journalled on a pin 28, which extends transversely between, and has its ends secured within the side plates 22 of the carriage member. Lever 26 extends from its pivoted end upwardly through the space between the paired guide bars l8 and is provided at its free end with a suitable grip or handle portion 29 secured in place as by means of a screw 30. It will appear that lever 25 is adapted to be swung through an arc of approximately 90 degrees, the lever engagng the connecting portion I!) of the guide bars when in one extreme position (Fig. 2), and engaging the upper edge of carriage portion 23 when in its opposite extreme position, as appears in Fig. 5.

The enlarged end or hub portion 21 of the lever is formed with a camming surface 3| (Fig. 7), progressively engageable by a follower consisting of a roller 33 which is journalled on a pin 34 carried by and extending between parallel arms 35 which project axially from neck portion 24 of the movable jaw 25.

Mounted for pivotal movement on pin 28 is a pawl 36 which is adapted to engage ratchet teeth 31 formed on the under surfaces of the guide bars [8, the pawl normally preventing movement of the carriage assembly in a direction away from stationary jaw [5, yet permitting free movement of the carriage assembly in the opposite direction. Pawl 36 is provided with a lip 38 (Fig. l) which lies between and projects longitudinally beyond its teeth-engaging edges 39. When lever 26 is disposed in its initial position as indicated in Fig. 2, it bears downwardly against lip 38, and holds the pawl out of engagement with the teeth 37, thus freeing the carriage assembly for movement in a direction away from the stationary jaw. The pawl is urged upwardly by means of a spring 40 carried by pivot pin 28, so that when lever 26 is raised a short distance from its initial position, the pawl, acting under the influence of spring 40, moves into engagement with the ratchet teeth. A second spring, indicated at M, connects the pivot pins 28 and 34, serving to maintain the follower roller 33 in contact with the camming surfaces of the lever at all times. The springs 40 and 4|, in the present example, are economically produced as a single element.

When using the device of my invention, the carriage assembly is initially positioned near the outer end of the guide bars as shown in Fig. 2, providing ample space for the insertion of a nut With one end of the nut disposed in the cupped recess of the stationary jaw, the carriage assembly is moved inwardly to bring the movable jaw into contact with the nut. During such adjustment of the carriage, the lever 26 is preferably maintained in its initial angular position with respect to the carriage, corresponding to a retracted position of the movable jaw relative thereto. The lever may now be swung upwardly to allow the pawl to engage the toothed surfaces of the guide bars. In the event that the edges 39 of the pawl fail initially to seat firmly against the shoulders formed by the ratchet teeth, continued lever movement will cause the carriage to slip backwardly a distance which, at most, will not exceed the axial length of one ratchet tooth.

It is desirable to minimize the extent of arcuate lever travel necessary to bring the movable jaw into pressure engagement with the nut and positively to lock the carriage against backward movement, as aforesaid, since this initial portion of the lever stroke in most instances, is not productive of any substantial cracking pressure. Accordingly, camming surface 3| is variably pitched so that a short initial portion of the lever stroke, such as is indicated by an arc of length X in Fig. 7 effects a relatively greater, or accelerated rate of jaw displacement as compared to that resulting when the lever is swung through the remaining portion of its forward stroke, indicated by are Y, such latter portion serving to effect the actual cracking of the nut. In this manner the extent of lever stroke may desirably be reduced to a practical minimum since only a small initial portion of the stroke is dissipated in positioning the movable jaw firmly against the nut in preparation of the effective or cracking position of jaw travel.

After the nut has been cracked the lever is swung backwardly to its initial position to depress the pawl out of locking engagement with the ratchet teeth, whereupon the entire carriage assembly may be drawn backwardly along the guide bars to allow the cracked nut to be withdrawn from the jaws and to prepare the jaws for the insertion of another nut therebetween. It will appear that control of the pawl 36, movement of the carriage along the guide bars, and movement of jaw 25 relative to the carriage is accomplished through and by means of lever 26.

An important object of the invention is attained in the provision of jaw elements having nut receiving sockets of novel and improved form which function to fracture a nut in such manner as to enable the shell fragments to be readily peeled from the kernel. To this end the jaw elements are formed with sockets or recesses characterized by a series of stepped shoulders of graduated diameter which present edges 42 for engagement with the nut. As pressure is exerted, one or more of the edges 42, depending upon the shape of the nut, produces annular scorings and definite cleavage lines, indicated at 43 (Fig. 5). With gradually increasing pressure the shell is caused to fracture at the circumferential lines 43 and the longitudinal lines 44. When fractured in this manner, removal of the shell portions obviously becomes very simple.

While I have described my invention with reference to a presently preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that certain changes may be made in the parts herein shown and described without departing from the spirit and full intended scope of my invention as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

In a nutcracker, a base, a guide bar extending horizontally from said base, said guide bar having an opening extending longitudinally thereof and two sets of ratchet teeth formed on its under surface, flanking said opening, a jaw fixed to said base and offset below the plane of said guide bar; a second jaw, a carriage for said second jaw, depending from and slidable on said guide bar toward and from said fixed jaw, a pivot pin on said carriage extending at right angles to said guide bar, said second jaw being movable toward and from the fixed jaw relative to said pivot pin, a pawl pivotally mounted on said pin and adapted to fix the position thereof with respect to said guide bar, said pawl having an upper end portion extending across said bar opening and engageable with said ratchet teeth, a spring coacting with said pawl for biasing its upper 10 end portion into engaged relation with said ratchet teeth, an operating handle pivotally mounted on said pin and extending upwardly through said bar opening for manipulation above the plane of said bar, -means operatively connecting said second jaw for movement toward and from the fixed jaw responsive to pivotal movement of said handle, the upper end portion of said pawl being disposed in the path of movement of said handle and being displaceable thereby out of engagement with said ratchet teeth.

GEORGE J. MOELLER. 

